Shri Rajnath Singh assured NPP leader that justice shall be done to the Jammu Migrants and he also sympathized with the genuine demands of the migrants and said that whatever is within the parameters of rule and law shall be done.

He also addressed a letter to the Union Home Minister in this regard which speaks for itself on the situation and the needs to resolve this problem being faced by the Jammu and Talwara Migrants as follows;

“During Kargil war thousands of Hindus were forced to migrate because of the threat of the local and foreign terrorists in Jammu Pradesh in the Districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda etc. This followed the massacre of the local Hindus in Prankote (District Reasi now). Several leaders of the ruling party and the opposition including Shri L.K. Advani and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi visited the affective people in Rajouri and Doda.

Thousands of them migrated to the safe areas of Jammu Pradesh mostly the Districts of Jammu, Udhampur and Kathua. The Govt. of J&K, as usual, made a discriminatory recommendation to provide relief to these migrants. It was because of the intervention of the Central government the migrants from Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri were provided meager relief both in cash and kind. Several hundreds of them took shelter in the outdated and broken cells at Talwara in Reasi District. The State government recommended only half of the relief to these migrants as compared to the Kashmiri migrants.

J&K National Panthers Party moved the High Court of J&K which granted the petition with direction to the Union and the State governments to provide relief to all the Jammu Migrants at par with the Kashmiri Migrants. The Govt. of J&K could not digest and they filed an appeal in the Supreme Court which was contested by the Panthers Party from 2002 to 2006. The Govt. of J&K in its affidavit assured the Hon’ble Supreme Court that the Jammu Migrants including those camping at Talwara shall be provided same relief in cash and kind which was being given to the Kashmiri Migrants. The J&K government in its affidavit that the Jammu Migrants numbering about 2200 families were not given any relief from 2004 to 2006 and the State made a commitment in its affidavit that the pending arrears amounting to about Rs.21 crores shall be provided at the earliest by the State and the Union governments. The Supreme Court made the direction to the Union and the State governments accordingly and directed them to clear all pending arrears of Jammu Migrants camping Talwara.

In the meantime, Govt. of India under the Prime Ministership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee raised the individual relief from Rs.400 to Rs.1000/- and family relief from Rs.1600 to Rs.4000/- per family, per month only for the Kashmiri Migrants. It was a tragedy that this quantum of relief was not provided to the Jammu Migrants residing in Talwara also right since 2003.

That this matter came before the petition’s committee of the Parliament and the matter was vehemently taken up by the BJP Members of the Parliament. The committee had Hon’ble Members of the BJP mainly Mrs. Sushma Swaraj and Mr. Venkaiah Naidu. They visited the Jammu Migrants also in their camps and made strong recommendation to provide them full relief at par with the Kashmiri Migrants. Nothing has been done till date.

That the Kashmiri Migrants were provided special package for their return and rehabilitation in their respective native villages in the Valley. I had worked hard with the Jammu Migrants scattered in different areas and those camping in Talwara and brought them around to return their homes provided they were given the same kind of package which was provided to the Kashmiri Migrants. Their houses in their villages had perished for one reason or the other in 15 years. Their cattle have also perished. Their land has been forcibly occupied by the militants or supporters of the militants in the respective villages. The State administration has remained hostile to them for the obvious reasons.

May I urge the Hon’ble Union Home Minister for your kind intervention to ensure that these Jammu Migrants including those residing in Talwara and other camps may be provided;

1. All the arrears as directed by the Supreme Court of India with interest and in the same quantum which has been given to the Kashmiri Migrants right since 2004.

2. That the Jammu Migrants and those camping in Talwara should be provided regular relief. At present only 624 families in Talwara are provided ration only and not cash besides 284 families camping in Talwara have not been provided any relief in spite of the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. I urge for your kind intervention to ensure all relief to them.

3. That nearly 1200 families which are scattered in different parts of Udhampur and Jammu Districts may also be provided the relief at par with the rest of them.

4. That the same package ensuring their return back to the villages may be ensured to the Jammu Migrants which shall be in the interest of the security of the state and the security and integrity of the villagers they belonged to.

I hope and trust that your honour may consider my request on humanitarian grounds as well as in the interest of the security and integrity of the state.”